Poly(1,4-cyclohexylenedimethylene) terephthalate (PCT), a polyester based solely on terephthalic acid or an ester thereof and cyclohexanedimethanol, is known in the art and is commercially available. This polyester crystallizes rapidly upon cooling from the melt, making it very difficult to form amorphous articles by methods known in the art such as extrusion, injection molding, and the like. In order to slow down the crystallization rate of PCT, copolyesters can be prepared containing additional dicarboxylic acids or glycols such as isophthalic acid or ethylene glycol residues. These ethylene glycol residues- or isophthalic acid-modified PCTs are also known in the art and are commercially available.
One common copolyester used to produce films, sheeting, and molded articles is made from terephthalic acid, 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol, and ethylene glycol residues. While these copolyesters are useful in many end-use applications, they exhibit deficiencies in properties such as glass transition temperature and impact strength when sufficient modifying ethylene glycol residues is included in the formulation to provide for long crystallization half-times. For example, copolyesters made from terephthalic acid, 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol, and ethylene glycol residues with sufficiently long crystallization half-times can provide amorphous products that exhibit what is believed to be undesirably higher ductile-to-brittle transition temperatures and lower glass transition temperatures than the compositions revealed herein.
The polycarbonate of 4,4′-isopropylidenediphenol (bisphenol A polycarbonate) has been used as an alternative for polyesters known in the art and is a well known engineering molding plastic. Bisphenol A polycarbonate is a clear, high-performance plastic having good physical properties such as dimensional stability, high heat resistance, and good impact strength. Although bisphenol-A polycarbonate has many good physical properties, its relatively high melt viscosity leads to poor melt processability and the polycarbonate exhibits poor chemical resistance. It is also difficult to thermoform.
Polymers containing 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol have also been generally described in the art. Generally, however, these polymers exhibit high inherent viscosities, high melt viscosities and/or high Tgs (glass transition temperatures or Tg) such that the equipment used in industry can be insufficient to manufacture or post polymerization process these materials.
Thus, there is a need in the art for comprising at least one polymer having a combination of two or more properties, chosen from at least one of the following: toughness, high glass transition temperatures, high impact strength, hydrolytic stability, chemical resistance, long crystallization half-times, low ductile to brittle transition temperatures, good color, and clarity, lower density and/or thermoformability of polyesters while achieving processability on the standard equipment used in the industry.
In addition, in one embodiment, there is a need in the art for a process which makes it easier to produce the polyesters of the inventions without at least one of the following occurring: bubbling, splay formation, color formation, foaming, off-gassing, and erratic melt levels, i.e., pulsating of the polyester or the polyester's production and processing systems. There is also a need in the art for a process which makes it easier to produce the polyesters of the invention in large quantities (for example, pilot run scale and/or commercial production) without at least one of the aforesaid difficulties occurring.